Wednesday, April 16, 2008

That's The Best You Can Do?

What's with Conservatives, both the leadership and the minions- any negative coverage, any criticism from any organization, all part of some Liberal conspiracy? When an environmental group criticizes the government's policies, we are presented with "well we know they support the Liberals". When any columnist pens a negative piece, "it's the Liberal media at it again". When the Conservative Party breaks the law, the only thing that matters, Elections Canada is in co hoots with the Liberals. Predictable, and entirely lame:

The bigger concern was that media cameras were present Tuesday when the Mounties were entering and leaving the party's offices, said Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

"I do find it odd, when I look at a photograph this morning and I see someone knocking on the door with cameras, with news cameras present," Flaherty said as he left a Conservative caucus meeting on Parliament Hill.

Yes Jim, the "bigger concern" isn't the raid itself, the legal implications, the stench of scandal, no it's the cameras. Okay.

More:

Ottawa-area Conservative Pierre Poilievre took it further, accusing Elections Canada of offering the Liberal party front-row seats to watch the raid unfold.

"Somebody should ask who in Elections Canada invited the Liberal party to make a home video out of the visit to our headquarters," he said.

Or, somebody should ask why Elections Canada was forced to ask the RCMP to intervene, why they felt it necessary to get a search warrant? That's a good question, maybe even more relevant that why the Liberals witnessed the sorry display.

The accusation doesn't deserve merit, but Kady shoots it full of holes here. This line of defence is akin to the Cadman scandal, where all the Tories could do was infer the tape had been doctored. When you have nothing substantive in defence, the only recourse is too attempt to blur the lines, offering juvenile doubt, try and smear the messenger.

It's a sad day, when the Conservatives try to sully Elections Canada, question their independence, make it appear to be a partisan conspiracy. Conservative supporters should be embarrassed, that their leadership forever employs the scorched earth policy, when reasonable questions are asked. In trying to discredit, they undermine confidence in our institutions, institutions which have a job to do, their independence above reproach.

Yes, what were the Liberals doing there, is Elections Canada in bed with the opposition? Canadians demand answers. That't the best you can do? Pathetic.

"But while most Conservative MPs were publicly impugning the motives of Elections Canada officials, some of them privately questioned the wisdom of their own party officials, particularly the director of political operations, Doug Finley. Finley was the backroom commander during the 2006 general election campaign and will perform the same function in the next campaign. Some Conservative MPs criticized him and the party's legal advisers for being too aggressive in "pushing the envelope" so far as Canada's elections laws are concerned.

In their view, a decision by party officials to take a hard line against Elections Canada and the elections commissioner precipitated the RCMP move. These Conservatives say they believe their cause is just but they worry that, even if they do prevail, voters will only remember the pictures of police officers at their headquarters.

"Did anybody think about the optics of this thing?" asked a Conservative official."